The Radiance Of Glory

What this episode covers

Every once in awhile I get a little controversial from the pulpit. I know there are some differences among us on very weighty issues, but please hear me out. I think we can all agree that music peaked in the eighties. And the only genre that really mattered in the eighties was soft rock. But narrowing down a favorite soft rock song is where it gets challenging. “The Glory of Love” by Peter Cetera has to be in the running. It was released in 1986 shortly after Cetera left Chicago, one of the greatest bands of all time. The song was also featured in the closing of The Karate Kid Part II. The best songs deal with big ideas. Glory is one of those ideas. Many of us would probably struggle to come up with a simple definition. It really covers a broad semantic domain. But before we get to defining the term as it is found in Scripture, let’s remember the context. Due to the incessant cultural pressure, these Jewish Christians in Rome were vulnerable. They seemed to be on the precipice of compromise—ready to abandon their Christian faith and return to the Judaic church. The author’s primary purpose is to elevate the value of Christ so that apostasy becomes unthinkable. In other words, they won’t find a more spectacular display of the glory of God by departing from the substance of Christ and returning to his shadows. How do we steel ourselves against the temptation to wander away from the faith? Those who frequently gaze upon the brightness of God’s glory through Christ will find every alternative grows increasingly dim. Read Heb 1:1-4. Robert Paul Martin acknowledges “Structurally this section is complex. Theologically it is rich.” Some see fragments of a hymn or confession of the early church that predates Hebrews. It’s clearly very deep and enriching. We’re pacing ourselves, carefully considering each phrase. Previously, we considered two aspects of the Son’s identity: 1. The Son as Heir of All Things 2. The Son as Agent of Creation › This morning we will look at the next description. The Son Radiates God’s Glory ‘Radiance’ only occurs here in the NT and once in the LXX (Wisdom of Solomon 7:25-28 dated ~50 BC). Anyone familiar with the “radiance” of divine wisdom might immediately recognize that the author is highlighting the superiority of the Son. Rather than a personified attribute of God, the Son radiates God’s glory. The author has taken a familiar term and used it to reinforce his Christology. ‘Glory’ is oftentimes used to refer to fame and honor. When we glorify God, we are honoring him and acknowledging his worthiness to be praised. His fame and reputation are upheld by the adoration of his creatures. The LXX’s most common translation of כָּבוֹד is δόξα. It literally means weight. One of my favorite essays from C.S. Lewis is titled “The Weight of Glory.” The title is a play on the meaning of ‘glory.’ Think of when the glory of God settled upon Mount Sinai. The cloud represented God’s presence which rested upon the people with a heaviness, a weightiness. The sight was so terrifying that the people asked Moses to speak to God directly, so they didn’t have to (Ex 20:18-19). Yet, following their defeat by the Philistines—who captured the ark of the covenant—the Israelites lamented that “the glory departed” (1 Sam 4:21-22). The same glory that causes some people to hide in trembling fear will draw others in with trembling joy. In Acts 22:11, Paul speaks of the δόξα of the light that blinded him as he journeyed toward Damascus. So glory also refers to the brightness of light. This is why, in the transfiguration of Jesus, “his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” (Mt 17:2). When Peter, James, and John woke up, “they saw his glory” (Lk 9:32). Arius (early 4th century) taught that the Son was subordinate to the Father and not co-equal. He also taught that there was a time when the Son was not. Rather than being co-eternal with the Father, the Son was th

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